This invention relates to aqueous dispersions comprised of water-soluble and/or water-swellable copolymers, processes for making said dispersions, and methods of using said dispersions in water treating, dewatering, water clarification, papermaking, oil field, soil conditioning, food processing, mineral processing, and biotechnological applications.
Aqueous dispersions of water-soluble and water-swellable polymers are known, see generally e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 5,696,228, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference, and references therein. In this regard may also be mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,708,071 and EP 0 717 056 A2, which disclose aqueous dispersions of amphoteric polymers. Aqueous dispersions typically consist of a discontinuous polymer-containing phase and a continuous aqueous phase. The discontinuous phase may contain water and generally contains a water-soluble or water-swellable polymer, and the continuous aqueous phase usually contains a different water-soluble polymer and/or salt. Despite efforts to make satisfactory aqueous dispersions, the problem remains of producing aqueous dispersions of water-swellable and high molecular weight water-soluble polymers that have advantageously low bulk viscosities, high active solids content, minimal quantities of dilutive material, and that dissolve readily and can be prepared with a broad range of cationicity.